What NOT to buy

Shock and anti-bark collars: Including 'e-collars', 'stim collars' and citronella sprays. They suppress a symptom by making the dog uncomfortable, they do nothing about the cause, and where the cause is fear they make it worse. We recommend rewards-based methods only.

Prong and choke collars: They work by pressure and pain. A front-clip harness plus training achieves more and costs less.

Retractable leashes: They teach that pulling extends the lead — the exact opposite of loose-leash walking — and the thin cord causes serious hand and finger injuries. A 6 ft lead plus a 30 ft long line covers every situation better.

Invisible fences: They do not stop anything coming IN, a determined dog takes the correction and leaves, and some dogs become fearful of the yard itself.

Rawhide: Choking and obstruction risk, and chemical-heavy processing. Wood, horn and air-dried single-ingredient chews do the job.

Cocoa mulch: Contains theobromine and smells like chocolate. Pine, cedar or hardwood instead.

Anesthesia-free dentistry: Cosmetic. It scrapes the visible surface and leaves the disease under the gumline, which is where it is.

Laser pointers: A chase that never ends in a catch creates obsessive light-chasing in some dogs, and it is hard to undo.

Multivitamins for a healthy dog: A complete-and-balanced food already contains what they provide. You are topping up what is there, and fat-soluble vitamins can accumulate.

Glucosamine for arthritis: The most-sold joint supplement and the least supported. Recent reviews found no meaningful effect, with untreated controls sometimes doing as well. Omega-3s and green-lipped mussel have the evidence.

Grain-free, unless prescribed: Grain is rarely the allergen — protein usually is. Grain-free became a marketing category rather than a medical one, and it was the focus of an FDA investigation into dilated cardiomyopathy. Buy on the nutritional adequacy statement, not the front of the bag.

An expensive bed for a chewer: It will be destroyed. Buy a washable mat until the chewing stops, then buy the good one.

Outfits for a dog who hates them: If they freeze when it goes on, that is the answer. A bandana still gets the photo.

Raised bowls by default: Long recommended, and some research associates them with increased bloat risk in large breeds. Without a medical reason, there is no strong case.

DNA tests for a known purebred: Useful for a mixed rescue or for MDR1 in herding breeds. Much less so for a dog with documented parentage.

Puppy pads, for most dogs: They teach that indoors is an option, which slows house-training. Useful only where indoor toileting is genuinely needed.

· A snuffle mat is scattered kibble in the grass or a rolled towel. Free.
· Training treats are their own daily kibble, counted out of the ration. Free.
· A clicker is the word 'yes', said the same way every time. Free.
· A place mat is a folded towel. The cue is the thing, not the surface.
· A flirt pole is a stick, a rope and an old toy.
· Oat flour is blitzed porridge oats — half the price of the bag labeled oat flour.
· A lick mat is peanut butter smeared on a silicone trivet or the side of the bath.
· A stuffed chew is a frozen KONG, but a wet twisted towel frozen solid works for teething.
· A cooling mat is a damp towel on a tile floor.
· Enrichment is a cardboard box with their dinner hidden in it.

· A crash-tested restraint or crate for the car — the only item here that is about survival
· Prevention: parasite control, dental care, and vaccines. Cheap now, expensive later.
· Insurance bought BEFORE anything is wrong, because pre-existing conditions are excluded everywhere
· A well-made harness and lead from a maker who guarantees them — the things a dog pulls against every day
· Professional help early. One session with a qualified behavior consultant costs less than a year of the problem getting worse.

· Does it solve a problem you actually have, or one an advert told you about?
· Does it work by teaching, or by making the dog uncomfortable? If the second, no.
· Is there a version of this you already own?
· Would your vet or a certified trainer recommend it? Ask — they answer questions like this for free.
· If it claims to cure, eliminate or guarantee anything, that tells you what kind of company made it.

· American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (avsab.org) — Humane Dog Training Position Statement (2021), which addresses aversive tools
· FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (fda.gov) — the grain-free and DCM investigation updates
· Veterinary Oral Health Council (vohc.org) — on what actually works for dental care
· American College of Veterinary Surgeons (acvs.org) — osteoarthritis management
· World Small Animal Veterinary Association (wsava.org) — the manufacturer questions for food

This is the only page on the site that saves you money by existing. Nothing is linked from it on purpose.